The defining feature of the Karnataka elections of 2008 is the legitimisation of big money as being central to the political process. Whereas in the past, the various lobbies—excise, education, infrastructure, etc—were happy to bankroll their chosen ones and stay behind the scenes, the new moneybags like miners and land sharks are hands-on in their political ambitions and not at all cagey about advertising it.
And the BJP, for all its sanctimonious self-righteousness, is only too happy to play the game.
Leaders like Sushma Swaraj, whose election campaign in Bellary against Sonia Gandhi saw the mining lobby obtain a stranglehold on Karnataka politics, offer two very predictable responses. One, if the Congress has done so all these years, why should the BJP be stopped? And two, when there is no law against moneybags from entering politics, how can we keep them out if they want to “serve the people”.
Little wonder, the Reddy brothers—N. Karunakar Reddy and N. Janardhan Reddy—played a key role in wooing and winning over the independents whose support is crucial for the B.S. Yediyurappa government.
Little wonder, Anand Singh (in picture, above), the newly elected MLA from Vijaynagar, has taken out a full-page advertisement in today’s Hindu, larger than Yediyurappa’s own ad in Vijaya Karnataka.
Singh declared assets of Rs 74.56 crore, according to Karnataka Election Watch, and faces criminal cases for “unlawful assembly, rioting, rioting, armed with deadly weapon, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace, criminal intimidation, house-trespass, mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees, member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object, and attempt to murder.”
Lest we forget, M/s Singh, Reddys, et al, will be making laws for the people of the land.
Tags: Anand Singh, B.S. Yediyurappa, Bellary, BJP, Churumuri, Congress, Karnataka Elections, Mining Lobby, N. Janardhan Reddy, N. Karunakar Reddy, Sonia Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj
28 May 2008 at 12:39 pm
God save Karnatka..
I think those who voted BJP to power in the state are plain stupid. When Vajpayee was there at the center it was OK. Now look how this anti social elements control the state. Refer the following link.
http://saveandhrapradesh.com/?p=3
28 May 2008 at 12:54 pm
I think the “choice” in most places was between the robber, the dacoit, the murderer and the plain corrupt.
28 May 2008 at 1:10 pm
Mohamed taslimudin is a union minister with UPA. He has ‘murder, rape’ charges against him. He makes the laws of your land too.
Laloo faces the biggest corruption cases. He spent good time in jail. He makes your laws too.
Does that make you secularly happy?
28 May 2008 at 1:25 pm
I dont’ understand why some pseudo patriots, who post comments on this blog, are blind in their support to BJP. They are only exposing their prejudices when they make efforts to dilute import subjects of discussion like criminalisation of politics. If Taslimuddin and Laloo did it, should Sriramulu and gang be pardoned? Nobody said Taslimuddin and Laloo should be pardoned.
Imagine having Sriramulu, a street-smart trouble maker, as the Home Minister himself or dictating terms to the Home Secretary on who should be arrested and who should be released. Bellary as well as the whole of Karnataka could well be converted into a Chambal valley or sorts.
28 May 2008 at 1:26 pm
@ anonymous
Let us assume that we have all given up on the Congress and the UPA and the secular lot you seem to decry by default. Let us assume that they are a washout, that there is no hope for this country with them.
Is the BJP simply going to ape everything the Congress did and explain away everything as something the Congress has done before? Does it have no locus standi other than being on the opposite site of the Congress?
If we are simply going to turn this state and this country from one set of crooks to another, if we have so little expectations from the people we elect, then we are up shit creek.
But, I guess, you wouldn’t know that, would you?
28 May 2008 at 1:41 pm
Old Mysorean: You are of endangered species!! (of I’m Right, rest all is wrong mindset). God Save Karnataka!
Churumuri: Give it a break. Instead upload some good cartoons from:
http://www.daijiworld.com/chan/cartoon.asp
28 May 2008 at 1:48 pm
Bellary miner minted money from the mines. They did not loot or seize from Poor. If they enter politics or not, the process of minting continues. Only in Coalition extreme corrupt can survive. Let them proove themselves. I dont buy Alok’s view that its dacoits and robbers around us. Polititians by default, have the first hand access to any ‘business’ proposal and they increase their wealth by 1086% in 5 years! Now it’s businessmen’ turn to turn the tables!
28 May 2008 at 1:51 pm
“”mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees”": Ha Ha.. What did he do?!!! threw stone at a street bulb?
28 May 2008 at 1:52 pm
>> They are only exposing their prejudices when they make efforts to dilute import subjects of discussion like criminalisation of politics.
dilution begins when you start whining on criminalisation of politics after sleeping through four years of having a rapist or corruption king as your union ministers. And suddenly wake up when bjp wins karnataka. Because you slept through four years of a rapist and murderer as union minister, and would have gladly voted for them to come back to power in the name of ‘secularism’, you would lose any moral right to talk about this now, dont you think?
was there a single post on churumuri about the propriety of taslimuddin or laloo holding union ministries?
28 May 2008 at 2:08 pm
Only Chikpet MLA has killed some wild animal!! Rest all in a ‘get-together’ unlawfully assembled and rioted!
Vicky Nanjappa/ Rediff
Bangalore, May 27: Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to form the government in Karnataka. During its campaign it spoke at great lengths about wiping corruption, clean governance, development and strict implementation of the law.
However, it would be interesting to note that the party has 18 legislators with a criminal record who have every chance of becoming a minister once the first independent BJP government in South India is sworn in.
The big question for B S Yeddyurappa is whether he will take this aspect into consideration and toe the line of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who did not include a single legislator with a criminal record into the ministry.
Here is a list of legislators — who have been elected on a BJP ticket — with a criminal record.
Anand Singh, Vijayanagara: Attempt to murder, rioting, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace, criminal intimidation, house-trespass.
Sriramulu, Bellary: Attempt to murder, dacoity, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, rioting, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means.
Kudligi B Nagendra, Kudligi: Attempt to Murder, dacoity, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, rioting, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means.
N S Nandieshareddy, K R Pura: Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty, unlawful assembly, rioting, member of unlawful assembly.
Dr Bagali Sarvabhoum Satagouda, Indi: Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, forgery for purpose of cheating, using as genuine a forged document or electronic record, causing disappearance of evidence of offence.
Chickpet Hemachandra Sagar D, Chickpet: Offences under the Wildlife Protection and Karnataka Forest Act.
K S Eshvarappa, Shimoga: Unlawful assembly, rioting, voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty.
Olekarneharuchannabasappa, Haveri: Unlawful assembly, rioting, wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation, member of unlawful assembly.
K Raghupathy Bhat, Udupi: Unlawful assembly, rioting, member of unlawful assembly.
Chandrashekhar Patil Revoor, Gulbarga Dakshin: Wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace.
CT Ravi, Chikmagalur: Rioting, joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon, joining or continuing in unlawful assembly knowing it has been commanded to disperse, Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.
K G Bopaiah, Virajpet: Unlawful assembly; rioting; wrongful restraint.
Charantimath Viranna Chandrashekharayya, Bagalkot: Dacoity, unlawful assembly, rioting, act endangering life or personal safety of others, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment.
M P Renukacharyya, Honnali: Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension of another person, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace, criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt.
Lalaji R Mendon, Kaup: Unlawful assembly, rioting, member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty.
Bhusanur Ramesh Balappa, Sindgi: Unlawful assembly, rioting, criminal trespass, act endangering life or personal safety of others, voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, criminal intimidation.
Abhay Patil, Belgaum Dakshin: Non-attendance in obedience to an order from public servant, rioting, joining or continuing in unlawful assembly, knowing it has been commanded to disperse.
S A Ramadass, Krishnaraja: Two counts of Rioting, non-attendance in obedience to an order from public servant, assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person.
28 May 2008 at 2:09 pm
1. I like Sriramulu. For all his street smart trouble making ways. i would prefer him to be the Home Minister any day compared to … and … and …
……
28 May 2008 at 2:40 pm
Is criminalisation of politics per se is wrong or it is wrong only when such people get elected from BJP???
I think ever since BJP won Karnataka, there are a lot of people who haven’t slept. And lack of sleep is a serious issue. It causes hallucination. And it is this hallucination which is making them to suddenly discovre that there are criminal elements in the legislature.
In Bangalore some IIT guys had contested election. How many people voted for them. I am not talking about the slum dwellers and communal forces. I am talking about the educated middle class who have a say in everything under the sun. How many votes did they get?? A few hundreds at the most??
These guys were not criminals. These guys dont have any case, no matter howsoever petty it may be, against them. They are clean. But still they did not get votes. Why? Do you call this defeat of democracy or victory of mobocracy????
Communists in WB and Congies elsewhere have made the electoral process so bad that today to contest and win, a party is forced to field winnable candidates. And these winnable candidates are not soft targets. They are also battle scarred veterans, battle for the ballot.
I am not saying it is only such candidates who win. But till such time there is an alternative to them, what can anyone do???
28 May 2008 at 3:10 pm
Yes Rama!! I am an endangered species and you are an enlightened one.
Reddy wears a cheddy in Karnataka while in Andhra he says “jai” to Sonia.
28 May 2008 at 3:29 pm
* Criminal Records – If we go by our many out dated legal system and certain clasuses, all of us (every individual in India) can be booked for some or the other offence. So, just going by some case booked in some point in time in the history may not really tell who is criminal and who is not. So, irrespective of BJP / Congress / JDS – this issue is there
- Is there anyone who has not escaped from TAX (at least 1 rupee), not given Lunchaaaa, not violated road/traffic rule? COMMON…
* Money Power – Money power is part of the game all over the world. Even in US, UK and other parts of the world. Matter is if it is legitimized in some way or not. Unfortunately, in India there is mechanism for legitimizing this and thus the larger issue.
BJP (or for that matter anyone else) will be fool to say that let Congress use money power and I will use UPAVASA SATHAGRAHA!!!!!
* BJP vs Congress vs JDS etc – I dont think even the hard-core admirer /supporter of BJP thinks that party is 100% clean on all aspects. I think, it is all about relative /comparision. SO, EVEN IF BJP IS ONLY 1% BETTER THAN THE REST, IT IS WORTH (For e.g. if Karnataka annual budget is 50 thousand crore and there is 1% improvement, that comes to 500 crore and that is not bad!!!!!
28 May 2008 at 4:37 pm
All these pseudo secular people say BJP is trouble making
Indeed maximum roite happened only during Congress regim
In Karanatak maximum continues curfew took place probably the record is Davanagere in 1990
Don’t for get its not BJP planted but in the name of BJP Congress did to replace Virendra patil.
Its congress that is responsible for criminalization of politics
All BJP ruled states are peaceful
Lalu made lots of stunts on Godhra and Naredra Modi but failed to prove anything. Even being in power.
After jalianwalabagh mass killing the next incident was Bhiwandi
Congress was equally more responsible for this.
Don’t put any colour on BJP its most of the time these pseudo seculars are responsible to owe only one community.
Most of criminal cases on BJP MLAs are politically motivated so they are criminals
In todays context these pseudo seculars are real criminals and disturbing the peace of the people.
28 May 2008 at 4:48 pm
There is a saying that “Yatha Raja Tatha praja”. The reverse is also true – “People get what they deserve”.
28 May 2008 at 5:10 pm
BJP unnecessarily triggered off the recent Hoganekal issue, and because of it, it was expected to lose out in the elections. Now that they have won, what will happen to this issue?
28 May 2008 at 6:23 pm
I am surprised to see Veeranna Charantimath’s name in the list of criminals. I have met people who have had occasion to see him from close quarters. He has been running an Engineering college in Bagalkot for more than 30 years and is known to be very honest. People have seen him go around Bagalkot on his cycle/50 cc moped. He is a workholic and a man of austere tastes. Not your typical street smart politician.
28 May 2008 at 6:23 pm
I heard Sushma Swaraj defend the gani goons claiming that they had made money from lawful means.
There were some reports about janardhan reddy’s plans to bump yeddy off sometime down the line and usurp CM post..Really sorry state of affairs.
28 May 2008 at 7:28 pm
Criminals in politics were there… will be there… Some Pseudo Seculars are waking up and crying now because BJP came to power!!
28 May 2008 at 7:30 pm
@Dharma
what do u mean by saying Hogenakal issue was unnecessary !!
If they had not made an issue of that… TN would have started construction…
28 May 2008 at 8:04 pm
If there was a big criminal to be alive today it would have been Gandhi and Nehru for agreeing to the partition of the country and toeing the muslim line of argument thereby causing untold misery and bloodshed. When they are hailed as father of nation and uncle of the nation :) why cherry pick sriramulu et al. Nehru and his family have to still answer for the treason they committed for sleeping while chinese attacked us in 1962, they have to answer for the treason they committed in 1971 while signing the simla agreement frittering the advantage we had to settle the kashmir issue once and for all, they have to answer for the mass murder of sikhs during 1984 anti sikh rioting. Then and only then can they and their fellow psuedo secular mediawallahs can question the criminal background of others.
28 May 2008 at 8:17 pm
dharma
what unnecessary?! whats wrong with you people? if karunanidhi starts again we will HAVE to fight again.
28 May 2008 at 8:25 pm
Should the common man have no respite from criminals in politics. Why are some bloggers holding a brief for BJP here ?
It is not that the issue was not raised when Taslimuddin became a Minister. The law had taken its course with Taslimuddin, who is not in the Government anymore, and Laloo. The same should apply to the BJP lot. Criminalisation supported by majoritarianism will lead to virtual anarchy in the society. Is this what the RSS and its affiliates want ?
28 May 2008 at 8:47 pm
desi homosapien dude,
which planet do you live in? taslimuddin is very much a member of cabinet.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
Law has not taken its course with Laloo -the cases are going on. The ‘state’ did not appeal an acquittal so it was left to the bihar state government to appeal.
In your secular hurry, you appear to be losing track of some daily news.
>> Criminalisation supported by majoritarianism will lead to virtual anarchy in the society.
why cant that be merely ‘criminalisation will lead to anarchy’? Is that the same reason why you lose sight of taslimuddin continuing as a minister? That is nicely criminalisation supported by minority secularism!
28 May 2008 at 10:16 pm
The media loves to point out that BJP has a large number of MLAs with criminal cases.
But has anyone done any analysis of these criminal cases to exclude the political ones?
Whenever an opposition party undertakes a protest or a movement that involves agitation, it is very easy for the ruling party to put criminal cases against people involves in such events. Take any of the agitational movements of BJP – be it the Ramajanmabhumi/Ayodhya, Baba Budangiri, Hubli Idga maidan, or the Kannada/Karnataka movements like protest against Cauvery tribunal, Hogenekal Falls, which are all political in nature. All such protests involve ‘unlawful assembly’ (as the ruling party opts for some law that disallows such protests which the protest clearly breaks), thus ‘breaking the law’ and invariably attracting criminal cases.
If one were to go strictly by such a criteria, then Mahatma Gandhi’s famous Dandi Salt march too was against the law of that time, but does anyone dare call the Mahatma a criminal? Dandi march was a people’s protest and it was clearly political movement.
An objective analysis should ignore criminal cases that have been political in nature.
28 May 2008 at 11:11 pm
Dev Jali, dont bother about the list. Any one can lodge a complaint against any one in this country. Even I can lodge a complain against you accusing you of torture to students!! Come elections, this habit of lodging complains will be on a high as is the secularists like Desi Homosapiens’ ranting.
People like desi have no balls to talk about cruel corruption happening in UPA. They have no balls to talk about KBG money that Sonia received. They cannot talk about Lalu and cult. Importing millions of tonnes of rotten wheat for double price is not an issue. Karunanidhi making hundreds of crores is insignificant. They had their mouths shut when SM Krishna looted the state. They also paint corruption saffron.
Now they are barking against BJP. People like them force me to defend BJP. People like them are more hypocritical than true politicians themselves. phew!
29 May 2008 at 12:26 am
Strange arguments from my cheddi brethren … Congress did some crap … so why shouldn’t cheddis do it … its being argued as if its a cheddi-fundamental right ?
No Matter what, Cheddis must be credited with introducing Mining lobby/Mafia to Kannada politics …. its clear as crystal that it them who did it first, soon followed by congress & other parties.
Some lame cheddis always & most conveniently forget that the same reddy brothers whom very very pure north-indian women named shushma loves & cajoles are licking the so-cheddi-called dumb italian’s feet.
29 May 2008 at 1:10 am
“very very pure north-indian women named shushma loves & cajoles are licking the so-cheddi-called dumb italian’s feet.”
Speaks volumes about the still-lookup-in-awe-at-white-skin syndrome that strangely (or not so strangely I think) prevails in non-cheddys (sometimes I wonder if cheddys are cheddys..what are non-cheddys..athava avrige adella enu bedveno…)
Give me any day “very very pure north-indian” over the “so-cheddy-called dumb-italian” anyday!
BTW,
“No Matter what, Cheddis must be credited with introducing Mining lobby/Mafia to Kannada politics”
Thanks (from all the cheddys) for the compliment… Ide taraha innoo eshto mafia/lobby taro idea idre olledu.
29 May 2008 at 3:20 am
After kaangi lost, churmuri has become swalpa sihi tumba kahi
29 May 2008 at 6:37 am
mayura Says: addendum
dont forget the other criminal acts of Nehru-Gandhi congresmen
- loss of tibet
- allowing bangladeshis into india
- 4000 sikhs killed after the death of Indira
- Sonias background
- Sponsorship of Nalinis daughters education by Priyanka
- Meeting of LTTE leader and Quottrochi at a french hotel prior to the killing of rajiv…then who gave supari to LTTE?
most TV anchors/journalists are born after these events took place, so they can remeber only modi/Godhra!
29 May 2008 at 7:04 am
“It is said that every people has the Government it deserves. It is more to the point that every Government has the electorate it deserves; for the orators of the front bench can edify or debauch an ignorant electorate at will. Thus our democracy moves in a vicious circle of reciprocal worthiness and unworthiness.” – George Bernard Shaw.
29 May 2008 at 7:05 am
Bangalore boy, Subalakshmi avere today Hindu
CHENNAI 28th: There is no need for Tamil Nadu to write either to the Centre or to the Karnataka government on implementing the Hogenakkal drinking water project, which is proceeding on schedule, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi asserted on Wednesday.
The Rs.1,334-crore water supply and the fluorosis mitigation project will benefit 3 municipalities, 17 town panchayats and 6755 habitations in 18 unions of Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts.
Mr. Karunanidhi said the time line of the project remained unchanged.
29 May 2008 at 7:09 am
If Yed can be Chief Minister, why not have Sriramulu as Home Minister?
29 May 2008 at 7:36 am
Very nice article…This web site is definitely better than typical news groups and magazines…..
Our politics and politicians became so dirty …Irrespective of the party label,you can see a lot of MLA/MPs with criminal records…You need to blame the voters who prefer corrupted criminals.
29 May 2008 at 8:58 am
Latest News on Prajavaani: ReddY & Co. are asking Deputy CM, Forest & Mining Ministries. It will be fun …. Karnataka will truly become Jharkhand except that there will be no natural resources or Forests left.
29 May 2008 at 9:57 am
Really very sorry state of affairs be it Congress, BJP or JDS. And the best we can do is to post witty comments and visit churmuri repeatedly to see if fellow visitors agree or disagree with our view point! Though we cannot directly attack the politicians, we can do so through this forum :). We derive some kind of satisfaction that we are not happy with what’s happening and have made the world know it! Thanks Churumuri!
29 May 2008 at 9:57 am
Look, you’ve got a corporator(who else… avva madesa) who is involved directly in murder cases and has too many various criminal cases pending against him.
He is supposedly spending Crores of Rupees to hire best criminal lawyers from Bangalore to get him bail and keep trial pending for years just like he has done for his earlier cases.
Why cannot Mainstream Media report this matter? It may at least scare those bigwig lawyers from taking up his case(height of hope!).
29 May 2008 at 10:04 am
btw some of the people of gadag talk highly of sriramulu. i actually came to know of srimulu talking to some folks in gadag i know. weavers et al are happy with him, he is also supposed to be instrumental in getting new bus stand done. some folks in hubli were envious of his work there.
29 May 2008 at 10:04 am
he may still be a crook yet …
29 May 2008 at 10:21 am
I was initially under the impression that this is an independent blog when I saw that you had prominently published interview with SL Bhyregowda. Yes I do admit I was mistaken! The way you are expressing your view about the winning of BJP it shows how much you “love” democratic election! Now I’m not surprised about what you say about Kannabiran! What happened to the droves of “STOP BJP” campaigners who descended on Karnataka from all over the country led by stalvarts like Karat(?)and such leaders and followers of Safdar Hashmi and road plays?
You have written so much about luring of independents by BJP!
Were you there when Shibu Soren happened?Do you know what the charges were and the reason why he was partially acquitted?
Why dont you write about terrorism? What are your views? Or is it a “Hindu Terrorism’ as claimed by one of your members? Which democracy you support? A Chinese one? Remember Nandigram and the recent election result?
29 May 2008 at 12:37 pm
Once Karunkar reddy becomes DCM, they will somehow eliminate Yeddi by fixing him in some scam and make him resign.
Be informed that These Reddys are capable of doing anythign and can go down to anly leve to attain political gains.
Then this karunakra cheddy will become CM. A day will come when we will be ruled by an migrant.
I guess family rule of gowda was better than family rule of Reddys.
( Of-course even i didn’t liked gowdas family rule., but now i feel and insider is better than an outsider )
29 May 2008 at 1:56 pm
I heard the food serverd for the visitors at Yeddi residence is also funded by Reddy brothers….
29 May 2008 at 10:03 pm
It is sad to see the discussion along party lines (one against BJP or another for Congress or against some other party). After all by this time we know most of these politicians change parties depending upon where they get the maximum advantage.
Can we discuss what can we do stop these things excepting to argue this is the way it is done every place.
It is true some of the criminal charges are not serious. When one agitates even peacefully it is possible to file charges. I have not yet faced charges, but my friendly opponenents (this is no oxymoronic) have written all types of derogatory things and I had to go to police stations to refute those charges. I am an ordinary activist and yet had to face this problem. This does not mean that when one is able to incraese his asset 1000 or 2000% in a short period and there are evidences to show they were obtained through corruption, they are serious. Can we try to look into such kind of allegations? Dod we have that kind of analysis?
30 May 2008 at 3:07 am
Stop complaining and learn the art of snatching from others and getting away with it.
If we stop and discuss what the law is etc., we will get nowhere. 90% of the Indians dont want the ‘rule of law’. They dont have a chance to escape out of India or access to the internet or even basic education or healthcare. They want strong leaders who can make things happen immaterial of law and by-laws which are made to provide a secure life for the middle class.
Take the self-made businessmen/politicians/criminals as role-models and get on with it. Learn how they made it big and follow the path they have set down. Their methods are the future of our country.
30 May 2008 at 3:12 am
Oh and we need to stop teaching about some leader who got us independence etc. Who cares anyway? How bad would it have been if the British hung around longer? For an average Indian – did it make a big difference?
Civics class should be supplemented with ‘Civics in modern India’ with heavy emphasis on things like ‘Getting things done in everyday life’, ‘How to get ahead in life inspite of the sloth, inefficiency and overpopulation’, ‘The fine art of bribing and networking’, ‘Using your caste and religion to practical advantage’.
30 May 2008 at 3:47 am
We Indians do not have any objection in getting a Dacoit as a Defence Minister in the past. We never had problems with having criminals as Ministers everywhere in each and every state so far. How is it different now?Why so much fuss? Did we become a clean country over night? Or is it the partisanship in our blood which is causing this?
30 May 2008 at 11:31 am
>> Then this karunakra cheddy will become CM. A day will come when we will be ruled by an migrant.
another case of secular amnesia.
Dharam Singh.
30 May 2008 at 11:38 am
Reddy brothers are close friend of YSReddy, Congress CM of ANdhra too. WHy this fact is suppressed by media like Churumuri?
U have every right to expose BJP. But why you keep mum on massive criminalization , even Central ministers had to resign from United Front Govt on murder charges are still minister in this UPA Govt.
Has BJP done even a fraction of that in Karnataka?
Its this double standard that makes you naked before public.
30 May 2008 at 7:59 pm
>>another case of secular amnesia.
>>Dharam Singh.
At least DS was born and brough up in karnataka. He knows to read and write kannada.
He can be treated as kannadiga at least.
(Of course it is true that he has lot of affinity towards hindi )
Today while swearing, Karunakra reddy was looking stars to read kannada written in Telugus script.
31 May 2008 at 8:23 pm
Mayura–
Your point is well taken; I am especially struck by the part where you speak of our inveterate habit of referring to Gandhi and Nehru as our family members. I suppose illiteracy in India, almost universal at that time, was largely responsible for the apotheosis of Gandhi and Nehru and the subsequent ills the nation has been forced to endure quite unnecessarily since. We can gauge the hold that the two have on the nation’s imaginary by considering that John Master’s “Bhowani Junction” is to this day banned in India because an ignorant character in it calls Gandhi a name. Maxwell Taylor’s “India’s China War” is not available in India because it talks about India’s military unpreparedness and the nepotism of the Nehru family. Most Indians don’t even know that Stanley Wolpert’s “Nine Hours to Raama,” which characterises Gandhi as sanctimoniously simple and those around him as believing he was indestructible, in addition to portraying Godse as human, exists. A recent instance would be the fate of “Midnight’s Children” in India.
If we are to believe the statistics offered by the latest census of India, the literacy rate is a comforting 65 per cent. Yet the populace can make no intelligent decisions about the leaders that history has imposed on us.
The truly literate section of the population is the middle class, and it loves the laissez faire BJP because the middle class can count and think in terms of bank balances. It comes to be derided as elitist because it can make its own decisions, and the illiterate become its enemy, getting their revenge through voting for outright or dissembling criminals. The BJP, of course, does not give a damn about the rural poor who can find no reason to vote for it.
The Congress robbed the nation by superficially adopting a socialist economy. The BJP is doing something similar through its veneration for the American brand of a free market economy, capitalising on what Manmohan Singh wrought in fealty to the World Bank and the IMF, his former masters. As a result, now the wolf of globalisation stands right in front of our doors, snatching the children of the illiterate poor left and right.
We have not moved away from Gandhi’s destructive glorification of Daridra Narayana or Nehru’s legacy of fascism which is still considered the force that holds our godforsaken nation together. Indira’s declaration of emergency clearly proved the strength of fascim by keeping her in office for three years and bringing her back later to give us more of it.
To mould or make the present manageable, as has been said by many, we need to learn to understand the nature of the past better, i.e., move in the direction of appreciating historiography rather than the paternal patriotism exhibited in our referring to Gandhi as Daddy and Nehru as Uncle. Those two knew the power the concept of family holds for Indians. “Bapu” and “Chacha” were their choices. We don’t criticise our fathers and uncles, but venerate them. Then came Tagore’s most unfortunate coinage, “Mahatma.”
A new approach is possible only through literacy, literacy that goes beyond the ability to sign one’s name rather than using the thumbprint. A meagre five per cent or so of the national budget for education takes us nowhere in that direction, not to mention the erratic political affiliations of our education policy makers. A union government that does not grant the minister of education cabinet rank can hardly be said to worry about destroying the protection offered to it by illiteracy. Instead of education, we are sold dreams from Bollywood and such other places to keep us pacified.
I think this is where the importance of learning to use this or that Indian language as well as English as tools of instruction and creating jargon free prose in both languages to share ideas and knowledge, scientific or otherwise, with one another comes in. This is why Kannada deserves attention in Karnataka.
Where do we start? Does India have to turn into a multilingual Nepal before we can start?
24 January 2010 at 8:02 pm
Ethics in politics is uncalled for in Modern day.Way back in late 90′s in Andhra, when NTR has single handedly made the TDP win assembly elections, and assumed the CM post.Our so called Mr.Naidu has backstabbed him publicly and lateron he was revered as CEO of Andhra(although he was involved in land mafia in and around hitech city by allocating land to all IT companies in and around this HItech city area)He from public when democracy has been killed as the people’s mandate has been overthrown.He has cheated or decieved the public openly by backstabbing his own uncle ,who has been elected by people?So how do you expect of him to respect a common voter? But still we do,is he better than any criminal or rapist? He is infact mass criminal, who cheats the society in disguise as techy guy?atleast we know what they are but mr.Naidu is clever ,because he decieves the intellectuals and infact is honored more by these so called intellectuals.Some caste fanatics respect this Naidu ,eventhough he is wicked and cunning.